HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Watercraft rentals, a picnic area, riverfront restaurant, concert amphitheater and cabin rentals were among the favorite ideas for Ditto Landing in an on-line survey of more than 3,000 people.

As part of Huntsville's ongoing BIG Picture master planning process, officials asked the public what would help lure more people to the underused, 569-acre public park and marina on the Tennessee River.

"We're thrilled with the great response we received," Dennis Madsen, the city's director of urban and long-range planning, said Thursday. "The survey has shown us that folks want Ditto to stay 'Ditto', but be 'more Ditto.'"

What Madsen means is that most of the ideas that resonated with survey-takers would not destroy the natural beauty of the riverfront.

A place to rent personal watercraft, canoes and kayaks was the most popular overall idea for Ditto Landing. The rest of the Top 10, in order:

Picnic area

Riverfront restaurant

Repair closed bridge

More natural areas

Access to the "mountain" across Hobbs Island Road

Lazy river tubing area

Concert amphitheater

Cabin rentals

Playground

"A look at the results shows a real focus on lower-intensity, recreational uses that would complement rather than detract from the existing environment," said Madsen. "On the flipside, (there was) a pretty clear pushback against large, game-changing uses."

Madsen said the survey results will be taken into account as the city drafts a master plan for the future of the riverfront. Ditto Landing's governing board, the Huntsville-Madison County Marina & Port Authority, will also be involved in that effort.

That riverfront master plan "will look not just at what types of uses might be added, but also where they'd be located and how the uses would be phased in," said Madsen.